...“The Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force is the second-largest and second-most capable navy next to the U.S. navy,” says retired Admiral Yoji Koda. “The Chinese navy is very much afraid of the Japanese navy’s real capability.”...

...Now Tokyo is in the early stages of redeploying its forces to the west to counter the sharply increased tempo of Chinese naval operations. And, in a sign that it is determined to counter any threat to far flung islands, including the Senkaku/Diaoyu group. The Japanese military is planning to introduce an amphibious landing force, akin to the U.S. marines, that could be deployed to defend outlying islands or landed to recover territory captured by a foreign invader....